Tanya in KS Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Anyone live in one of these? Husband is worried about the 2X4 walls & what little insulation is in them. What about resale value?? I am all :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagsWife Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Anyone live in one of these? Husband is worried about the 2X4 walls & what little insulation is in them. What about resale value?? I am all :bigear: Honestly, with you living in KS I would not even consider it. You could not pay me to live in a single/double wide anywhere in the mid-west or where tornadoes are likely. That being said, I have seen some *really nice ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Anyone live in one of these? Husband is worried about the 2X4 walls & what little insulation is in them. What about resale value?? I am all :bigear: In a park? While we did what the Lord was leading us to at the time, I would not again -- given the choice -- choose to live in a double wide (or any kind of mobile home), especially not in a park. We actually have fond memories of our time in this home -- but the resale was awful (bought it for $30,000, sold it four years later for $20,000) and we had to get the park owner's approval on the buyer (one sale fell through because the p.o. didn't approve of the buyer). Now, if you're going to get one cheaply to put on your land, and you can keep it after, then *maybe*. We had a pellet stove in ours and it heated the entire thing well. My husband is a builder and I don't recall him ever complaining or talking about heat retention (and he's big on that). We remodeled ours into a cozy, fun space (closed off a laundry room exterior door that served as the main entrance and put one a few feet away into a better area, creating an entry way; painted all the '70s wood paneling white; put in new windows), plus it was located right on a large pond (with lots of wildlife!), so we had a good place that way. We try to be careful not to "diss" it in front of the kids -- or even to ourselves -- because it was a big part of us learning to be content with what we had. Plus these kids have these happy memories that we created, and we are GLAD for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 When I was in Kansas, the trailers were often put in flood areas...nice, flat, and encouraging for a twister. I wouldn't live in Kansas without a basement, and I'm not a big chicken. (Plus, you can go to escape the heat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulRidge Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I haven't lived in one, but my grandmother did until I was about 14 and it was *quite* nice. I have an aunt that had one put on their property and the way they've done it is quite gorgeous. I personally wouldn't live in one in a trailer-park type setting, but... DH and I's first priority after he's done with school (and maybe even before then if we can afford it) is to buy some acreage to become more self-sufficient/reliant. We'd likely but a double/single wide on it to live in while we pay off debt (school, any remaining credit card etc) and then save to build our dream home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I have a friend who's entire home and farm was destroyed by a tornado. http://harmonpfarms.blogspot.com/2008/02/total-loss.html He replaced it with a double wide.....:confused: It's BEAUTIFUL! But I wouldn't have done it. No way. He did put in a storm shelter I think. My brother lives in a mobile home and loves it. I would never live in one unless I put it on my own land and kept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I liked mine but it really is a dumb choice of purchase unless you just have money to throw away. They are pretty inside and you can usually get WAY more house than you could afford with a "real" house, but... And then there is the KS thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We live in a 30 year old one!:D I don't recommend that. I am not sure who thought it was a good idea to use particle board for FLOORS, but they should have their building license taken away.:tongue_smilie: The new ones are much nicer. You can put a doublewide on a basement - they do it in Iowa. I wouldn't buy one to put in a park unless you get it really cheap and pay cash - the interest rates if you can't get a traditional mortgage are 12% or more. If you do certain things, it becomes qualified for a regular mortgage and is treated as a house (for the mortgage.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We've looked at a lot of these here and so far, the only brand I would consider is Palm Harbor Homes. They are supposed to be built just as well as houses. The only thing is...they're about the same price as a house. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We have a Palm Harbor. It wasn't the same price as a house. Our neighbors have a stick built that is just over 1000 sq ft for the same price we paid for our just over 2000 sq ft. But my dh would not do it again, and I might not either. We've never been sure if we could sell it, even before the housing market crashed. I think everyone on our street who has left has just walked away, which we would never do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Resale value is about nil, as I understand. We've been looking at acreages, and I *refuse* to consider one with a mobile on it. The value is only from the land. No matter what you do to a trailer, its still a trailer, and will never increase in value the way a house will. As I pointed out to Wolf, these folks probably had the intention of building a house, but never had the money to do so...so what would make us different?! For the potential resale value alone, I wouldn't ever do it. Why buy something that can depreciate to the point of dragging down the value of the land? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 You mean - the Palm Harbor dealer and the bank might have lied to us? Gasp! They are paragons of virtue - would never take advantage of unsuspecting people just wanting to own a home... K, maybe not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We have a Palm Harbor. It wasn't the same price as a house. Our neighbors have a stick built that is just over 1000 sq ft for the same price we paid for our just over 2000 sq ft. . We went to one of their sales centers once and they were eeeeexpensive. I think the one we asked about was $165,000 (without the foundation). :lol: They showed us the whole thing about how much better quality they are with 2x4's, 2x6's and their super-duper insulation. Obviously we couldn't make a decision, because we're still renting. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfhsmom Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We live in a neighborhood of "trailer"(manufactured) homes where the houses have been put on foundations on their own lots. They are all landscaped nicely and have garages. Our value on our home has increased more than $30,000 in 11 years--and yes, some of the homes in our neighborhood have sold in the last year and realized an increase in value. One couple in our neighborhood are a realtor/contractor and they are sold on the whole idea of manufactured homes on a foundation. However, we are surrounded by mountains and do not get twisters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We went to one of their sales centers once and they were eeeeexpensive. I think the one we asked about was $165,000 (without the foundation). :lol: They showed us the whole thing about how much better quality they are with 2x4's, 2x6's and their super-duper insulation. Obviously we couldn't make a decision, because we're still renting. :D Wow! I think prices have gone WAY up then! We bought this in 1998 and paid about $60-65K for it. It's 2070 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. Ours is like the PP said, manufactured homes on at least one acre lots on permanent foundations with brick skirting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Honestly, with you living in KS I would not even consider it. You could not pay me to live in a single/double wide anywhere in the mid-west or where tornadoes are likely. That being said, I have seen some *really nice ones. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 A nice, and fairly affordable, alternative is a prefab home. They're built in sections indoors, and brought to your site and put on your basement or other foundation. Assuming you buy from a quality manufacturer, they retain their value the same as stick built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I wouldn't buy one in tornado alley. Many are quite nice and you can get a lot of house that way but they lose a ton of value fast and the resale isn't great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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